Video clips from Jos, Plateau State, where President Bola Ahmed Tinubu visited families of the victims of one of the recurring massacres in the Middle Belt, showed the president pointing to his head. My first impression, as I watched the video on low volume, was that he was asking someone if he was “mad upstairs.” Curiously, I increased the volume and rewound the picture to get the full gist.
Facing the families of victims of the attacks whom he had assembled at the airport, and pointing at the logo on his cap, the president was saying: “Politically, I brought the symbol of this cap to break the shackle, the shackle of violence, the shackle of ignorance, the shackle of poverty, the shackle of hopelessness. We must break it together.”
Only then did the message the president had carried on his head all along make meaning to me. The symbol, resembling a horizontal figure eight, is a shackle. The president sees it as a broken shackle signifying freedom. He had fought against the dictatorship of General Sani Abacha in 1993 as a member of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), a prominent pro-democracy group founded on May 15, 1994.
Through the emblem, he seeks to impress upon Nigerians his dedication to breaking the chains of poverty, ignorance, and violence.
At another forum earlier, the Jagaban said: “Philosophically, it is my belief and faith in education and freedom fighting. On my cap is a broken shackle. It is freedom. The shackle is broken, and you cannot put us in bondage anymore. You have broken the shackle of poverty, ignorance, disease. You develop the capacity to improve the quality of the lives of the people. It has been my philosophy, and it will remain my philosophy.”
A second look at the president’s signature logo told me that the shackle I see every day on the President’s head was not broken. The president and his men owe Nigerians so much explanation.
Apparently, some of the president’s apostles do not understand what freedom means, or what the logo on the cap symbolizes. Earlier this year, an avowed Jagabanite, Monday Okpebholo, the governor of Edo State, reportedly made it mandatory for civil servants to wear the symbol to their offices daily. The order was absolute, and defaulters were threatened with severe penalties.
The order spread to the legislative arm of the state and the lawmakers found themselves shackled to the President’s cap. Ever since the story hit the stand, I had struggled to reconcile this contradiction – the use of force to promote what is meant to symbolize freedom.
If Tinubu’s intention in governance was truly to unshackle Nigerians from poverty, violence, and ignorance, someone close to him should gently draw him aside and whisper that he may be on the wrong path. It is indeed ironic that the bitter kola does not taste as pleasant as it sounds.
The circumstances that brought the president to power still did not present a complementary picture as they did not reflect this noble philosophy of freedom. During the 2023 presidential campaign, he was recorded telling supporters that power is not served à la carte, that one must grab it, snatch it, and run with it. Such rhetoric stands in stark contrast to the ideals of freedom he professes as a former NADECO activist.
In that election, his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), allegedly unleashed widespread electoral intimidation, particularly in Lagos. Party thugs reportedly warned voters to stay away from polling units unless they supported the APC. Violence and intimidation were also reported in Rivers State, where he had a strong ally in the then governor, Nyesom Wike. Such actions hardly align with the principles of democracy, which is freedom in both concept and practice.
The shackle image the president wears daily is portrayed as broken, yet many Nigerians believe it remains intact. Metaphorically, critics argue that a project to further fasten the shackle on Nigerians appears to be unfolding. One example cited is Lagos State, where Tinubu is widely perceived to retain significant political influence long after leaving office. Unless he pronounces a name, no one can be sure who governs the state. There is the fear that the president is about to reenact the fit on the larger Nigerian constituency.
The irony of Tinubu’s shackle is that, as viral as its symbolism is, its perceived effects are deeply felt. Those caught in its grip may either be unaware of their bondage or unable to break free. His critics argue that his most potent tool is the vast wealth and influence at his disposal, which has enabled him to build a network of loyal beneficiaries.
His association with major business interests, including the Chagoury Group, and his influence over federal resources have further strengthened his political reach. With such leverage, many governors are said to have aligned with the APC, consolidating the party’s dominance.
While other presidential candidates in 2023 advocated a transition from consumption to production, Tinubu promised to expand the tax net to boost revenue. Upon assuming office, he removed fuel and foreign exchange subsidies, triggering inflation and a sharp rise in the cost of living.
As hardship intensified, organized labour threatened protests. At negotiations, the president offered bags of rice as palliatives, an offer labour rejected, urging instead the rehabilitation of refineries. In the politics of the shackle, critics argue, food and cash become instruments of appeasement.
The constant borrowing from Western countries without a corresponding hope to generate enough to even service he loans let alone pay back is another drag into the shackle of debts. Our future has been mortgaged. He who goes aborrowing goes asorrowing. The nation is shackled to the West and there is no escape until it pays back.
The metaphorical shackle, according to detractors, has spread across institutions. The legislature, often described as the bastion of democracy, appears compliant, while segments of the judiciary face accusations of compromised independence. Political parties, too, are said to be ensnared in the prevailing power structure. And the song, “On your mandate we shall stand” fills the air.
More dispiriting is the accusation that the president and his men have a hand in destabilizing opposition parties by instigating and sponsoring court cases, using the dissidents in those parties. With the parties shackled, Nigeria is condemned to one party; no choice, no options. It sounds highly authoritarian.
On a Candid Note, the President and his APC have a duty to unlock the shackle for the poor to breath.
Dr. Odu can be reached through [email protected] or SMS 07016722929.
